Michigan
NCAA Great Lakes Regional
Michigan Shares Regional Title, Earns Trip to Nationals
11/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The 23rd-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team finished tied for first with Wisconsin at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships on Saturday (Nov. 10 ). The Wolverines scored five runners in the top 20 for 68 points at the Indiana Championship Course. Wisconsin, which is ranked No. 4 in the country, won the team title for the ninth consecutive year.
By finishing in the top two, Michigan earned an automatic trip to the NCAA Championships. It will be the Wolverines' first team appearance at nationals since 2004.
Junior Lex Williams(Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter HS) led the Michigan harriers across the finish line, placing seventh overall with a time of 30:53.27. Williams was followed by freshman Craig Forys(Howell, N.J./Colts Neck HS) and junior/sophomore Brandon Fellows(Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island HS), who finished 11th (31:07.73) and 13th (31.11.11), respectively.
Junior/sophomore Sean McNamara (Elmhurst, Ill./York HS) andsenior/junior Victor Gras (Belmont, Mass./Belmont HS) stayed in a pack the whole race and finished together 18th (31:21.65) and 19th (31.23.70) to finish the scoring for the Maize and Blue.
Other Wolverines with strong showings were junior John Black(Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Brother Rice HS), who placed 20th with a time of 31:26.15, and sophomore/freshman Ciaran O'Lionaird(Cork, Ireland/De La Salle HS), who took 27th in 31:42.74.
The Maize and Blue will continue its postseason run on Monday, Nov. 19, at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. The 10,000-meter men's race will begin at noon at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course.
Top 10 Teams
1. MICHIGAN 68 Wisconsin 68 3. Notre Dame 76 4. Indiana 111 5. Ohio State 167 6. Michigan State 210 7. Eastern Michigan 230 8. Marquette 271 9. Miami (Ohio) 275 10. Kent State 297
Top 15 Individuals
1. Patrick Smyth, Notre Dame 30:22.44 2. Matt Withrow, Wisconsin 30:38.42 3. Andy Baker, Butler 30:40.81 4. Jake Watson, Notre Dame 30:46.98 5. Jordan Kyle, Indiana 30:49.51 6. John Ealy, Ohio State 30:52.31 7. LEX WILLIAMS, U-M 30:53.27 8. Josh Karanja, Eastern Michigan 30:58.88 9. Christian Wagner, Wisconsin 30:59.73 10. Brandon Bethke, Wisconsin 31:03.31 11. CRAIG FORYS, U-M 31:07.73 12. Pat Sovacool, Miami (Ohio) 31:10.28 13. BRANDON FELLOWS, U-M 31:11.11 14. Jake Walker, Notre Dame 31:14.09 15. Craig Leon, Ohio 31:17.52
Other Michigan Individuals
18. Sean McNamara 31:21.65 19. Victor Gras 31:23.70 20. John Black 31:26.16 27. Ciaran O'Lionard 31:42.74
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Ron Warhurst
On tying for first... "This is a great win for us after a big disappointment at the Big Tens. All of the guys really stepped up this week after we lost our lead runner (Mike Woods) to a broken ankle. All seven runners finished in the top 27. It was just a great day."
On having a healthy Lex Williams back... "Lex is one of the top runners in the country. He had a tough year battling back from a couple health issues. I could tell he was down after his performance at the Big Ten Championships. He really made up for it by taking over the lead role after we lost Woods."
Contact: Jeremiah W. Hergott (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
